How to Defend Against Dog Fighting Charges

Dog fighting is illegal in the United States, yet it is growing in popularity and notoriety. Outraged citizens are keeping their eyes and ears open for anyone involved in dog fighting or related crimes such as animal cruelty or interstate commerce violations. While this is a good thing overall, you might find yourself falsely accused of such charges and need to have an attorney defend you in court.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Gather proof that you are innocent of the charges, that you were not present at the fights and had no knowledge of them. Ideally, this would be an alibi for the time of the fight. A video of the fight and its audience might help to prove that you weren't there, but will probably not be considered sufficient.
2. Counter the evidence that your attorney gets from the prosecution during evidence reveal. This is especially important if you do not have an alibi for the time and place of the dog fighting--you will need to justify any evidence they have against you, so prepare your explanations.
3. Explain any purchases you made if the prosecution uses bills or receipts for items you purchased that could have been used for dog fighting. Commonly used bills are veterinarian bills, pet supply bills and bills for dog training equipment.
4. Appeal your case if you lose. One way to do this is to challenge whether the statute you were convicted under is constitutional. In some states, the statutes are broad enough to argue that someone with average intelligence wouldn't understand them.
5. Challenge the court for infringing on your property rights. In some appeals, defendants have won because their property rights were violated. Animals are still considered property and if they were illegally seized or if your property was searched without a warrant when one was necessary, this is a valid defense.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are caught in the act, such as with photos or videos, there really is no good way to defend yourself against the dog fighting charges. The smartest thing to do would be to take a plea if you can.
• Do not try to defend yourself against the charges in court. Get adequate representation because dog fighting is a felony in 48 states. There are fines and jail time for those convicted.
• If the prosecution doesn't have sufficient evidence to convict you of dog fighting charges, they might accuse you of animal cruelty or a crime related to dog fighting such as illegal gambling, bookmaking or drug possession or sale.